WHY THE NATIVE AMERICAN 7TH GENERATION MUST RISE TO EDUCATIONAL POWER NOW!

by Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney
Wednesday Aug 13th, 2014 11:37 AM

WHY THE NATIVE AMERICAN 7TH GENERATION MUST RISE TO EDUCATIONAL POWER NOW!

(This article was written by me in Feb. 25, 2008, during Occupation and Resistance @ DQ University, California's only off the reservation campus. The message is still true today.)

' WHY THE 7TH GENERATION MUST RISE TO POWER NOW! ' By Mike Raccoon Eyes

Greeting Cousins,

As you know for the past number of months I have writing and speaking at town hall meetings in Indian Country about the supporting the students at D.Q. University and the issues surrounding what has been happening there.

The youth and young adults at D.Q. are in effect the current 7th Generation that attempting to rise to power in their dreams, visions and aspirations while they are being brutally denied the education, and being violated their national and international Human and Civil Rights.

The 7th Generation is trying to find their place in the 21st Century Indian Country.

As the Honorable former Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, has stated time and time again; each generation of Native people and Nations must re-invent themselves in better order to meet the challenges of that era or generation they are in.

And the young people at D.Q are no different or an exception to the rule.

These young people are on the NEW FRONT LINES OF MORE HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS FOR INDIAN COUNTRY. THEY ARE DIRECTLY IN THE FIRING LINE OF THE 'NEW INDIAN WARS '.

Devon A. Mihesuah, a Choctaw professor of History at North Arizona University in Flagstaff has a book she has written entitled- 'American Indians-Sterotypes and Realities'

In her book she states, " Unemployment is rampant on the reservations. There is almost no private sector jobs, and those on the reservations must depend on the BIA, the tribal government or health services for jobs."

Professor Mihesuah again cites: " The number of Indian youth is increasing, yet they have the lowest rates of high school graduation."

"Many factors contribute to Indian students difficulties in school, including lack of cultural understanding and language differences between teacher and student, lack of parental involvement, and the cultural conflict between what is taught in the public schools compared to what the child learns at home."

"Another factor is children often have to travel significant distances to attend school."

She again cites, " Many federally funded schools operated by the BIA have inadequate textbooks, deteriorating dormitories, mismanaged funds, and underpaid and improperly certified teachers."

Given these overwhelming barriers that Indian youth and young adults face to get a basic high school education, we in Indian Country must view the students of D.Q. University as the new vanguard of leadership of the 7th Generation.

For they as Native young adults are re-inventing themselves to meet the brutal challenges of the 21st Century here in Indian Country.

The time for talk is now over! We must help our 7th Generation to raise to power in Indian Country NOW! D.Q. has reached the attention of the national media, it is now time for Indian Country to extend our hands out to our Native young adults and ensure that every Native youth has both a high school and college education.